Shipper | Case study
How a nationwide retailer achieved 100% on-time performance during peak season
Key takeaways:
- Missing even one delivery could impact dozens of stores and significantly affect sales and brand reputation.
- Combining asset and non-asset capacity, plus proactive communication and reporting, kept 1,900 deliveries on track across multiple waves.
- With 100% on-time delivery, the retailer gained confidence in a “set it and forget it” solution and now relies on it for future promotions.
Background
A nationwide home improvement retailer struggled to meet the demands of their peak spring promotional season. With up to 90 loads per day needing attention out of one location, the retailer needed to work with a provider who could deliver a seamless experience utilizing both asset and non-asset capacity without affecting any of its existing capacity commitments.
Situation
During peak promotional periods, the retailer faced significant risk if it partnered with the wrong provider:
- High-stakes sales impact: The retailer was at risk of losing key first- and early second-quarter sales, with every lost sale directly affecting the bottom line.
- Strict delivery windows: Big-ticket promotional items had to arrive on time at regional distribution centers (DCs) to support scheduled store deliveries. One late delivery could disrupt shipments to 20–30 stores per region.
- Complex shipping demands: With 1,900 deliveries across four waves over eight weeks, the retailer needed full visibility into inbound product to properly plan receiving at both DCs and individual stores.
- Brand and promotional risk: Advertising dollars and brand reputation were tied to product availability, meaning out-of-stock promoted items could damage customer trust and be difficult to recover from.
Solution
The retailer engaged with Schneider’s Supply Chain Management team, and its Managed Transportation service was identified as the perfect solution. Managed Transportation allowed the customer to:
- Take advantage of all of Schneider’s assets, both owned and third party.
- Outline a complete solution for on-time deliveries within the allotted time frames.
- Create trailer pools at the shipping location, helping the shipper get ahead of schedule to pre-load the trailers and stay ahead of the game.
Throughout the process, service and communication were key. Because roughly 45 loads per day were being picked up from one shipper, the Schneider team generated a daily report for the customer to help make sure all the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed. This report also ensured any potential issues were identified before causing delivery delays. On-time pick-ups and deliveries were key for the retailer to successfully hit its financial goals.
The retailer liked knowing that once a promotion like this had an identified solution, it could trust it was going to work as specified. This enabled the transportation planners to focus on “non-promotional” freight in day-to-day operations vs. tracking down multiple carriers with these shipments.
Results
The retailer has enjoyed a streamlined Managed Transportation process working with Schneider. On-time deliveries, the key metric for this promotion, were at 100% the first year of the promotion.
The retailer’s favorite part of the solution? That it can ‘set it and forget it’ with Schneider. Once all variables have been identified and a plan has been agreed upon, the retailer can move its focus to something else and count on Schneider to get the work done.
The solution has worked so well that Schneider is its go-to provider for quick-turn promotions, delivering the consistency and confidence needed when timing is critical.
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